Community Activist Campaigns Against Apathy

By Corey Kahler
April 30, 2009 10:04PM

Theres this general apathy in folks, he says, Black guy killed so it must have been gang related. Oh well.

To Salisbury it doesnt matter what the reason is for a crime, it needs to be reported and the people responsible need to be brought to justice. With this philosophy, he became a stand out for the Silent War campaign for his direct approach of placing posters around Seattle neighborhoods that loudly proclaimed Break the Silence!

For Salisbury work like this is operating against the chic status of criminals that has been one of his greatest enemies.

Were all inundated with this mentality, this desensitization to violence, that is everywhere, parts of rap for sure, but also in media like The Sopranos.

Salisbury sees the youth as the biggest victims of the numbness to violence and he has worked in Seattle schools, such Garfield High School, where after a recent shooting, he challenged the assembled students.

Someone in this gym knows who had the gun, he told them. If you cant report them, just dont be around them.

He knows that theres fear of retribution for people who are aware of criminal activity, but he sees kids wearing t-shirts that say Snitch is a Bitch and it infuriates him.

Violence is the same as all other crimes. If you saw someone molesting children in the park of course you’d call the police.

In order to accomplish a societal shift away from this, Salisbury has translated his loss into a call for community service, rather than simply retributive justice. With his promoter-inspired the crowd decides whats cool attitude, Salisbury believes that active community work by citizens on a consistent basis is the best response to and defense against violence.

To this end he has started WeWillDoBetter.Org to connect organizers with volunteers. Salisbury wants to change the quick hit idea of community service that happens with events such as Earth Day or students looking to pad their college applications.

While he doesnt see a crime-free city, Salisbury does see one where everyone takes a part in keeping it safe. He knows that its a difficult goal to work against violence and apathy, but his attitude is optimistic.

Everyday people are the purveyors of culture, he said. Its extremely simple.